This evening President Obama will deliver his State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress. So please join us at the Montlake Ale House for a SOTU-watching party at the Seattle Chapter of Drinking Liberally .

For this week only, we will meet at 5:30 pm (PDT). Obama’s address is scheduled to begin at 6:00 pm. Liveblogging will ensue.

For many people, this is also an election day, so deal with your ballot first. Make sure it will be postmarked today, or else find a drop box.

We meet every Tuesday at the Montlake Ale House, 2307 24th Avenue E. Our regular starting time is 8:00, but we will move that up this week for the SOTU address.

The Ale House will have TV coverage of the address, and reasonable audio levels. But bring your own radio and headphones (or ear buds) if you want to concentrate on the SOTU—there will be the normal high background noise of an active pub. Also, there is free WiFi available for streaming the audio. Ask your server for the WiFi password.

Can’t make it to Seattle tonight? Check out one of the other DL meetings over the next week. Tonight the Tri-Cities and Vancouver, WA chapters meet. On Wednesday, the Bellingham chapter meets. On Thursday Drinking Liberally Bremerton meets. Finally, next Monday, the Aberdeen, Yakima and Olympia chapters meet.

With over 200 chapters of Living Liberally, including fourteen in Washington state, four in Oregon, and two more in Idaho, chances are excellent there’s a chapter that meets near you.

Stephen’s sister runs for congress.

Roy Zimmerman: I Want to Marry Like they Had in the Bible:

White House: West Wing Week.

Ann Telnaes: America’s dirty laundry.

Thom: Homophobic Scouts of America.

Stephen: America’s next President.

Greenman: Joe Romm on Climate, Obama, Keystone, and Consequences:

Skeeters:

• Mark Fiore: Skeet Truth.
• GIFs of Obama shooting things.
• Red State Update: Obama’s skeet shooting photo

Pap: Is the Tea Party over?

Ed: GOP re-branding fail…Talk of trans-vaginal probes.

Young Turks: Dick Morris lies on CNN about lies on FAUX News.

The story of Kid President.

Drones:

• Sam Seder: Bush’s torture morphs into Obama’s drones.
• Jon on leaked drone memo.
• Pap with Jim Hightower: Drones coming to a town near you.
• Thom: Drones, Obama, and the Constiution.
• Sam Seder and Chris Hayes: Obama’s drone strike policy.
• Jon: Obama’s drones ruin his show.
• Seattle Mayor McGinn shoots down Drone program
• Thom: Sky stalkers.

Sam Seder: The real reason the Post Office is canceling Saturday deliveries.

Liberal Viewer: Karl Rove and does contraception contradict Capitalism?:

Maddow: Republicans try to hide their racist, bigoted, extremist base with ‘rebranding’ talk

Young Turks: O’Reilly lies about lying.

Lawyers, Guns, and Money:

• Ann Telnaes: Semi-automatic.
• Zina Saunders: Shootout at the Constitution Corral
• Gun owners show up in Olympia.
• Thom: Did Ronald Reagan kill 20 children in Newtown?

Sam Seder: Marco Rubio on climate change…whatever.

Thom with some Good, Bad, and Very, Very Ugly.

The Ashley Judd Threat:

• Lawrence O’Donnell: Karl Rove is scared shitless of Ashley Judd
• Young Turks: The Republican attack against Ashley Judd.
• Ed: Ashley Judd responds.

Jon laments America’s biggest losses.

Morris is out at FAUX News.

Last week’s Friday Night Multimedia Extravaganza can be found here.

The suggestion that Gov. Gregoire could be Obama’s next Secretary of the Interior has turned out to be wrong. Instead, another woman will get the job:

Sally Jewell, a retail executive and outdoor enthusiast, is President Barack Obama’s pick to oversee the national parks and vast energy reserves on public lands as Interior secretary, an administration official said on Wednesday. […]

Her private sector experience, most recently as chief executive of outdoor retailer REI, drew praise from conservationists and some industry groups…

And the Republican reaction to the nomination?

…Jewell’s nomination drew skepticism from some Republicans in Congress.

“I look forward to hearing about the qualifications Ms. Jewell has that make her a suitable candidate to run such an important agency, and how she plans to restore balance to the Interior Department,” said U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, the top Republican on the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

Jewell has been a leader in land conservation in the Pacific Northwest, but she worked in the energy and finance sectors early in her career.

(By, “restor[ing] balance.” Murkowski means “increased drilling while opposing laws to cap greenhouse gases that are blamed for global warming.”)

Gregoire is not out of the running for two other cabinet positions, as was recently pointed out:

Gregoire, who has made energy issues a cornerstone of her gubernatorial tenure, is likely headed for one of three Cabinet-level jobs that are vacant now or will soon become vacant: Energy secretary, Interior secretary, or head of the Environmental Protection Agency. As a former head of Washington state’s Department of Ecology, Gregoire is steeped in experience in energy and environmental issues. Her enthusiastic support for renewable energy has won plaudits from environmentalists, but she’s also known for her ability to speak effectively about the realities of the fossil-fuel economy.

Either remaining position, EPA or energy secretary, seems like a good fit to Gregorie’s experience, strengths, and interests.

My money’s on energy secretary. Gregoire has a long history of doing battle with the Department of Energy over the Hanford clean-up. More recently, the battles have turned into happy agreement, adoring joint statements, and public praise.

That’s the tell.

“A hazard of being a member of the stupid party is mentioning you are a member of the stupid party.”

…to Drinking Liberally

Please join us tonight for another lively evening of politics over a pint at the Seattle Chapter of Drinking Liberally. Today is the 10th anniversary of Colin Powell’s speech before the U.N. that carefully documented our reason for invading Iraq.

We meet every Tuesday at the Montlake Ale House, 2307 24th Avenue E. Starting time is 8:00pm. Some people show up earlier for Dinner.

Can’t make it to Seattle’s DL tonight? Check out one of the other DL meetings over the next week. Tonight the Tri-Cities chapter meets, and on Thursday Drinking Liberally Tacoma meets.

With over 200 chapters of Living Liberally, including fourteen in Washington state, four in Oregon, and two more in Idaho, chances are excellent there’s a chapter that meets near you.

The Washington Post is updating its list of best state-based political blogs…something I didn’t know existed until I stumbled across the nominations post.

So if you want to nominate some blog as a “best state-based political blog”, please feel free to do so using the web form at the bottom of this page. Alternatively, click here to submit your nomination via Twitter (keep the hash tag in there).

Thom: Is Gov. Rick Snyder (R-MI) lying about election rigging?

Obama speaks on immigration reform.

Hagel-ing:

• Sam Seder: Sen. McCain desperately seeking vindication for his Iraq war position.
• Maddow: McCain tries to use Hagel to justify his Iraq war position.
• Ed: The GOP’s total disrespect for a war hero
• Maddow: Ted Cruz thinks he is qualified to judge Senators Kerry and Hagel on military issues
• Sam Seder: Ted Cruz goes all Palin on Hagel.

SlateTV: Bloomberg on Joe Biden’s family jewels.

Ed: Latest GOP vote-rigging attempt hits a speed bump.

Stephen on Eric Erickson’s climate change denial (via Crooks and Liars).

Robert Reich: the hoax of “entitlement reform” (via Crooks and Liars).

Mark Fiore: Super Pacs and the Permanent Campaign.

Gun Lobbyists Don’t Kill Legislation, Legislators Kill Legislation:

• Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn on gun buy-back.
• Sam Seder: The NRA enemies list.
• Ann Telnaes: NRA and the gun show loophole.
• Pap: How the gun industry sells mass shootings.
• Thom: Typical school day in NRA utopia.
• Stephen: “Oh, Mississippi!”
• Lawrence O’Donnell: NRA wants women to arm themselves with assault rifles.
• Sam Seder: Young mother’s soothed by assault weapons?!?
• Young Turks: NRA lobbies against its own positions.
• Jon: Skeet-Gate!
• Thom: Why the hell is the NRA at Senate hearings?!?
• Sam Seder: NRA speaks at Senate Hearings

Hillary says “goodbye”.

Sharpton: Colin Powell takes Bill O’Reilly to school over voter fraud.

White House: West Wing Week.

Sharpton: Obama makes progress on his 2nd term agenda.

Thom with more Good, Bad, and Very, Very Ugly.

Palin’ Around With Terrorists:

• Liberal Viewer: Did Tina Fey soften Sarah Palin’s image?
• Sam Seder: Sarah Palin leaves FAUX News.

Bill Gates on education, health and Facebook.

Bill Maher with some new rules, Part I.

Bill Maher with some new rules, Part II.

Young Turks: Republican against voter fraud arrested for voter fraud.

Snohomish County plan to put police in schools.

Stephen learns that Gays are less stressed.

The G.O.P. Makeover Comb over:

• Maddow: The GOP’s War on Women™ continues to rage in Republican states:
• Ann Telnaes: Republican plan for the future.
• Sam Seder: Republicans take lessons to sound less hateful of Latinos
• Young Turks: G.O.P. has lost the culture wars.
• Maddow: Republicans learn to talk, Part I
• Maddow: Republicans learn to talk, Part II
• Alex Wagner: The tug-o-war for the soul of the G.O.P.
• Zina Saunders: Republican control press conference:
• Ed: The G.O.P. doubles down on the 47%

Thom: Why does the pro-life movement align with the pro-death party?

Obama honors America’s top scientists and innovators of 2011.

Susie Sampson’s Tea Party Report: Immigration.

Thom: The Good, The Bad, and The Very, Very Ugly.

Last week’s Friday Night Multimedia Extravaganza can be found here.

Sen. Rodney Tom (faux D-48) is all about “bipartisan coalitions.” This lede suggests he has been quite an inspiration:

GOP and Democrats unite to fight Rodney Tom’s plan to erase parents’ ability to save for state college tuition through a state program. But the House effort carries a price tag.

I think Sen. Tom has a future filled with such coalitions….

We’ve seen a run on vote rigging attempts in Republican controlled blue states. Republicans in Florida, Virginia, and Pennsylvania have flirted with, and have had rejected, plans to change their electoral vote allocation from a winner-take-all system to a congressional district allocation system. Republicans in Ohio, Michigan and Wisconsin are expected to join the fun. (And probably be rejected.)

It makes sense for Republicans to selectively change the state laws in their favor, especially given their excellent job of gerrymandering congressional districts following the 2010 census. Yeah…the voters get fucked, but that never stopped a Republican from power-grabbing.

Changing a handfull of blue states to congressional district allocation, while maintaining the winner-take-all system in red states, would have given Mitt Romney the presidency. Even as the popular vote went to Obama.

With Sen. Rodney Tom’s Republican Senate majority, Washington state has taken it’s first step to becoming a blue state controlled by Republicans. Surprise, surprise…House Republicans are trying to join other Republican-controlled blue states in their Presidential election-rigging effort:

The proposal, House Bill 1091, would divvy up Washington’s electoral votes by results in each of the state’s 10 congressional districts, with the remaining two votes going to the statewide winner.

In 2012, that would have given Obama nine electoral votes from Washington while Romney would have taken three.

Supporters say that would be a fairer result for more conservative parts of the state that are constantly outvoted in statewide elections by the Seattle area.

In one sense, these whining Republicans are correct. Under some conditions, allocating electors by congressional district (with the two additional electors going to the state popular vote winner) is a fairer system than the winner-take-all system. Those conditions are:

• Every state does this, rather than just selected blue states.
• Congressional districts are not gerrymandered. That is, all states have in place a rigorous, non-partisan redistricting process.

Under those conditions, a universal congressional district allocation system is fairer because all but 100 of the 538 electoral votes are allocated by smaller, and thus more representative, voting blocks. That wold be fairer than the current system that has some bizarre artifacts:

The [current] system has the effect of making your vote count a lot more in “swing states” — states where the majority could conceivably vote for either candidate — than in other, more politically predictable states. It is a virtual certainty, for instance, that Georgia will vote for Mitt Romney, so an individual Georgian’s vote for Barack Obama doesn’t mean a lot — Georgia’s 16 electoral votes are going to be cast for Romney. Conversely, an individual voter’s choice for Romney in ultra-blue New York won’t stop that state’s 29 electoral votes from going to Obama.

This raises the questions, what do we mean by a “fairer” system? Here are some ideas:

• A fairer system would give each person’s vote an identical weight in determining the election’s outcome.
• Consequently, a fairer system would elect the winner of the national popular vote.

Democrats remember how unfair it felt when George Bush lost the popular vote, yet became President. And Republicans would have collectively “gone postal” if Mitt Romney had won the popular vote but lost the presidential election.

What I am getting at is that the fairest system of all is to elect the President by popular vote. The system we have now, fails 8.7% of the time (four out of 46 elections where the national popular vote was known) by putting in office the loser of the popular vote.

We used to believe that the only way to change the system to elect the President by popular vote was to amend the Constitution. Now we know better. The National Popular Vote compact system achieves the same thing by letting states exercise their constitutional right to allocate electors as they wish:

The National Popular Vote bill would guarantee the Presidency to the candidate who receives the most popular votes in the entire United States. The bill preserves the Electoral College, while ensuring that every vote in every state will matter in every presidential election. The National Popular Vote law has been enacted by states possessing 132 electoral votes — 49% of the 270 electoral votes needed to activate it.

This works when a coalition of states is formed that controls 270 or more electoral votes. Then, by each member state’s law, the slate of presidential electors for the state is elected according to the result of the national popular vote. If the coalition does not control 270 votes, the states revert back to their old system (winner-take-all for most states).

There doesn’t seem to be a downside–unless you believe it’s okay for a candidate to lose the national popular vote and still be elected President. Since the compact makes no changes to the electoral college itself, no Constitutional amendment is necessary.

Back to the Washington state Republicans trying to rig the vote. The new bill, HB 1091, actually does two different things. It changes the way we allocate electors now. It also cancels Washington state’s participation in the interstate compact.

Of course! Why would we expect consistency from Republicans? They were never interested in making the presidential election as fair as possible. They’re only interested in advantaging Republicans.

So sad…Washington state Republicans have still have not shown any ability at true leadership. Fuck ’em. And fuck Rodney Tom for joining ’em.

Please join us tonight for an evening of politics over a pint at the Seattle Chapter of Drinking Liberally.

We meet every Tuesday at the Montlake Ale House, 2307 24th Avenue E. Starting time is 8:00pm. Some people show up earlier for Dinner.

Can’t make it to Seattle’s DL tonight? Check out one of the other DL meetings over the next week. The Tri-Cities chapter also meets tonight. And on Monday, the Aberdeen, Yakima, South Bellevue and Olympia chapters meet.

With over 200 chapters of Living Liberally, including fourteen in Washington state, four in Oregon, and two more in Idaho, chances are excellent there’s a chapter that meets near you.

Ed: Boehner blames Obama for GOP’s incompetence.

Guns and Stuff:

• Young Turks: Ted Nugent ready for ARMED REVOLT!
• Ed: Ted Nugent is ready for armed revolt against Obama.
• Mark Fiore: The Presidents Kids.
• Young Turks: Republican blames black people for gun violence.
• Lawrence O’Donnell: Falsehoods in LaPierre’s ‘NRA Inaugural Response’
• Thom: Should citizens have the same weapons as the military?
• Young Turks: Stand your ground laws encourage people to shoot (dead men don’t tell tales…).
• Ann Telnaes: NRA Nutcase LaPierre’s numbers just don’t add up.
• Young Turks: MS lawmakers try to skirt federal law
• Sam Seder: How many people were shot on Gun Appreciation Day?
• Thom: The hidden history of the 2nd amendment.
• Young Turks: Arming school children.

Thom with some more Good, Bad, and Very, Very Ugly.

Roy Zimmerman: Vote Republican, D.C. episode:

Hillary’s Day:

• Young Turks: Hillary hits back.
• Sam Seder: Rand Paul on Benghazi…STUPID UNTETHERED
• Sharpton: Teabagger Sen. Rand Paul’s bizarre conspiratorial question.
• Jon on ‘No Shit Sherlock’ hearings on Benghazi (via Crooks and Liars).
• Bill Press: Praise for Hillary
• Stephan: Republicans sucked at Benghazi hearings.

Sam Seder: What the fuck went on inside Michele Bachmann’s campaign???

Maddow: Is America a liberal country?

Re-Inauguration:

• Ann Telnaes sketches Obama’s second inauguration.
• Bad Lip Reading: Obama’s inauguration:
• A special inaugural edition of West Wing Week.
• Maddow: Inaugural hats.
• Jon on Paul Ryan’s criticism of Barack Obama.
• Young Turks: Republicans OUTRAGED that Obama’s speech was LIBERAL!
• James Taylor sings America the Beautiful:
• Thom: A second inaugural, a second conspiracy.
• Ann Telnaes: Justice Roberts gets it right!
• Inaugural poem.
• Susie Sampson’s Tea Party Report: Obama’s last inauguration.

Gov. Jay Inslee makes some announcements.

Thom: The Good, The Bad, and The Very, Very Ugly.

G.O.P.’s War on Elections:

• Thom: Can we stop Republicans from rigging the vote?
• Ed: Stealing 2016.
• Maddow: GOP vote rigging plan withers in public light
• Sam Seder: Republicans celebrate MLK day by disenfranchising voters
• Thom: The G.O.P. has to rig elections to win.
• Ed and Pap: The GOP plot to steal elections.
• Young Turks: Republican bill in Virginia has been introduced before…13 times
• Thom: There is only one way to stop G.O.P. vote rigging.

Sam Seder with another episode of Random Rush.

The “No warming in 16 years” myth.

Last week’s Friday Night Multimedia Extravaganza can be found here.

Welcome to the second term. Please join us for a post-inaugural celebration and assessment over a pint at the Seattle Chapter of Drinking Liberally.

We meet every Tuesday at the Montlake Ale House, 2307 24th Avenue E. Starting time is 8:00pm. Some people show up earlier for Dinner.

Can’t make it to Seattle tonight? Check out one of the other DL meetings over the next week. The Tri-Cities chapter also meets tonight. On Wednesday, the Burien and Bellingham chapters meets, And on Thursday the Woodinville chapter meets.

With 200 chapters of Living Liberally, including thirteen in Washington state, four in Oregon, and two more in Idaho, chances are excellent there’s a chapter that meets near you.

Thom: Whole Foods…now serving food and fascism.

Gov. Jay Inslee’s Inaugural address.

Thom: The Good, The Bad, and The Very, Very Ugly.

A Farewell to Firearms:

• Jon slams pro-NRA Republicans… (via Crooks and Liars).
• Sam Seder: NRA ad targets Obama’s children.
• The NRA Stand and Fight parody:
• Thom and Pap: Guns and GOP hypocrisy
• Lawrence O’Donnell: The gun makers who run the ‘blood-drenched’ NRA
• Sam Seder Pro-NRA Democrats put on notice.
• Maddow: The NRA & ‘gun grabber’ paranoia
• Sharpton: The GOP’s gun playbook pulled from ‘Jim Crow’ history books.
• ONN: Objections over some gun-related regulations.
• Jon: On FAUX News’ ‘tyranny’ hysteria over Executive order.
• Young Turks: NRA targets Obama’s kids…and Cenk!
• Sam Seder: Republicans, “Guns are part of God’s plans!”
• Alex Wagner: GOP gets all unhinged over gun proposals.
• Stephen: Double Barrel Blam-O-Rama (via Crooks and Liars).
• Jennifer Granholm and Pap: Gun industry makes billions while children suffer.
• Ann Telnaes: The NRA’s vision for America.
• Lawrence O’Donnell: The Republican’s backward evolution on gun control
• Thom: The Second Amendment was passed to protect slavery.
• Sam Seder: Polls on gun control measures.

Thom with more of The Good, The Bad, and The Very, Very Ugly.

Washington Liberals music: “We Will Screw Ya”.

Mark Fiore: The G.O.P. Debt-B-Gone plan.

Thom with even more Good, Bad, and Very, Very Ugly.

Liberal Viewer: Colin Powell calls Republicans racist?!?

Maddow: At start of 2nd term, Obama is finally beating the crap out of Republicans.

Sam Seder: Glen Beck uncloaks….

White House: West Wing Week.

Rigging Elections:

• Maddow: The GOP gerrymandering strategy
• Thom: The GOP takes vote rigging advice from Stalin.
• Sam Seder: New Republican strategy to steal elections.
• Matthews: Gov. Rick Scott (R-FL) now ducking his own 2012 voter suppression orders.
• Sharpton: Gov. Rick Scott ducking his voter suppression record.

Sharpton: The GOP Birfer Brigade is back!

Ed: Filibuster reform and Republican obstructionism.

Forty Years after Roe v. Wade.

• Ann Telnaes: 40 years of Roe v. Wade.
• Maddow: A women’s right to abortion under attack.
• Young Turks: Limbaugh, “Women who seek abortions should be shot.”

Obama: Message for MLK Day:

Maher with some New Rules (via Crooks and Liars).

Stephen: Ladies had better live up to Pat Robertson’s “eye pudding” standard (via Crooks and Liars).

Young Turks: Republicans surrender…they will raise the debt ceiling.

Sam Seder: GOP training to learn not to mention “rape”..

Retreat!!!!

• Lawrence O’Donnell: Republicans retreat to colonial Williamsburg, VA…to surrender?
• Alex Wagner: GOP image rehab….

Young Turks: Colin Powell rips GOP over racist remarks.

Last week’s Friday Night Multimedia Extravaganza can be found here.

Please join us for an evening of politics over a pint at the Seattle Chapter of Drinking Liberally.

What’s the buzz? Lawmakers returned to Olympia yesterday, and Senate Republicans are in charge with their “majority coalition.” Jay Inslee gets sworn in tomorrow. And guns.

We meet every Tuesday at the Montlake Ale House, 2307 24th Avenue E. Starting time is 8:00pm. Some people show up earlier for Dinner.

Can’t make it to Seattle tonight? Check out one of the other DL meetings over the next week. Tonight the Tri-Cities chapter also meets. The Longview chapter meet this Wednesday. On Thursday, the Spokane chapter meets. And on Monday, the Yakima, Aberdeen and Olympia chapters meet.

With 201 chapters of Living Liberally, including thirteen in Washington state, four in Oregon, and two more in Idaho, chances are excellent there’s a chapter that meets near you.